The more spectacular Nonito Donaire looks every time he fights, the better. That makes future potential fights against the likes of fellow super bantamweight champions Abner Mares or Guillermo Rigondeaux even more attractive than they already are.

Donaire is aware of that, which is why perhaps more than ever he wants a knockout tonight when he defends his two belts against former champion Toshiaki Nishioka at Home Depot Center in Carson (on HBO). Nishioka, a longtime champion, lost his belt via governing body politics, not in the ring.

Donaire won his first world title in the 112-pound division. His two most recent fights have been at the 122-pound super bantamweight class. Those, and his last bout at bantamweight, make three consecutive fights in which he has failed to stop his opponent inside the distance.

Prior to that, Donaire had knocked out four opponents in succession and nine of his past 10. This sudden lack of knockouts happens to fighters who climb the weight-class ladder.

Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) claims he isn’t worried, but he acknowledged he wants to do something about it.

“We have been fighting the fights and getting the victories and I think that’s what counts most,” Donaire said. “These guys I have been fighting are world champions and they are at the top of their game. Sometimes you don’t get the results that people look for.

“People expect a lot from me. We have been trying to change things up to get different results. Against Nishioka we can’t let our guard down and (we’re) going back to the old Nonito Donaire style of fighting smart.”

Donaire suggested he has been trying too hard to get knockouts. That’s another thing that happens to fighters who move up in weight; they want to silence those who wonder if they will be able to carry their power up another class.

When a fighter goes overboard in looking for a knockout, the result often is the same as when a baseball player tries to hit a home run. It doesn’t work.

“We all know when the guys move up in weight, the punches get stronger and the opponents have all been world-class fighters, so it is more difficult to get the KO,” said Robert Garcia, who trains Donaire. “It won’t be easy against Nishioka, but at the beginning of training camp Nonito told me he wanted to come in and do it the way he used to do it – picking them apart little by little, then knocking them out.”

That was the focus in camp.

“He’s been doing it in training against lightweights, super lightweights. He’s been landing beautiful punches and combinations and I have no doubt he will do it against Nishioka,” Garcia said. “I am not pushing or asking for the knockout, but in training he has been doing the right thing and if he performs like he did in training, I will be happy with him.”

Knocking out Nishioka won’t be easy. In 46 bouts – he’s 39-4-3 with 24 knockouts – Nishioka has been stopped only once inside the distance and that was in his second pro fight in 1995. The key will be not really trying to become the second fighter to knock out the talented fighter from Japan.

“When it comes, it comes,” the 29-year-old Donaire said. “But the proper game plan will show my power, which is what I was known for – lightning-fast counters that were knocking people out because they never saw it coming.

“No matter how tough you are, if you don’t see where it’s coming from you don’t expect it and it will knock you down.”

By all accounts, Nishioka is going to be tough for Donaire. Garcia refers to Nishioka as “a great fighter.” Donaire acknowledged Nishioka is a talented southpaw with a solid left cross he has to be on the lookout for.

Bob Arum, Donaire’s promoter, is wary.

“Nishioka’s a hell of a fighter,” Arum said. “He’s been looking for this fight for over a year. He’s going to give Donaire all he can handle.”

The problem for the 36-year-old Nishioka is he has not fought in a year. He said he’s been training since January with most of his focus on Donaire.

“I wasn’t sure if that’s the fight I was going to get, but he’s the only fighter I wanted to face,” said Nishioka, who made six title defenses before being stripped of his belt. “So that was my main motivation for training that long.”

As much as a knockout for Donaire tonight would be terrific for the fighter nicknamed “The Filipino Flash,” a win for Nishioka would be his best.

“It will give me the greatest feeling of personal achievement,” Nishioka said. “It would be the greatest victory.”

Rios could have fight at higher weight

Brandon Rios, the former lightweight champion from Oxnard, has not made weight his past two fights and even lost his belt on the scales this past December. But he is moving up to super lightweight tonight to take on Mike Alvarado at Home Depot Center (on HBO).

He is more than a little happy about not having to make 135 any longer and is jazzed about the prospects of this fight that will serve as the semi-main event to the super bantamweight title fight between Nonito Donaire and Toshiaki Nishioka.

Rios this week spoke about now fighting at 140.

“This time, I’m actually training for the fight, not training to make the weight,” he said. “I feel great, my weight’s perfect right now. I’m like a pound, two pounds off and – oh, man – I can’t complain anymore because before at this time I was not eating.

“I’m still eating, still drinking water.”

Rios claims to be in great shape, and that’s good because he is going to be tested by Alvarado. Like Rios, Alvarado is a heavy hitter and that’s why so many experts are predicting this fight could steal the show from Donaire and Nishioka.

It doesn’t even matter they are friends outside the ring.

“It’s always exciting to get in the ring with any opponent,” Rios said. “It’s just the fact that the friendship, we’ve gotta put that aside and in the ring, when the bell rings, we’re enemies. He wants to kill me, I want to kill him.”

Rios (30-0-1, 22 KOs) said he heard Alvarado (33-0, 23 KOs) might be considering a variety of game plans. But the general consensus is this is going to be a knockdown, drag-out fight.

Maybe, maybe not, Alvarado said.

“My boxing skills are underrated,” said Alvarado, of Denver. “I am going to keep him at bay. He is going to be right there in front of me so I can do anything I want with him. I can fight his fight. I can bang with him. I can do whatever I want with him.

“It will be my fight. I will control the pace.”

Etc.

Trainer Robert Garcia on Wednesday was asked what he thought about former super lightweight champion Amir Khan firing Freddie Roach and practically blaming Roach for his most recent loss by saying Roach doesn’t stress defense enough. “After a fighter starts losing and after fighters are not looking the way they normally do, the first person they go after is the trainer,” Garcia said. “Nobody was saying that before. Freddie Roach has done a great job with Manny Pacquiao and just that itself tells you that he’s a great trainer.” Khan, who replaced Roach with Virgil Hunter, will take on Carlos Molina on Dec. 15 at the Sports Arena (on Showtime). Khan on July 14 lost via fourth-round TKO to Danny Garcia in a super lightweight title unification bout. … Timothy Bradley may not fight Dec. 15 in Miami after all. His promoter (Bob Arum) and manager (Cameron Dunkin) suggested this week it was because Bradley’s left foot that was injured during his controversial win over Pacquiao in June has not healed. But Bradley responded by telling the Desert Sun that wasn’t the case. He wasn’t happy with being offered a rematch with Lamont Peterson, whom Bradley already beat three years ago. … Garcia (24-0, 15 KOs), of Philadelphia, defends his two super lightweight belts against Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KOs) of Tijuana next Saturday in the main event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime).

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